Brake-shoe



(No Model.)

O. W. ROEPPER.

BRAKE SHOE.

.818. PatentedMar. 18, 1890.

q wcmeooco c nveuho'a am 5 Q 4% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES IV. ROEPPER, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO.

BRAKE-SHOE.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,818, dated March 18, 1890.

Application filed May 31, 1889. Serial No. 312,772. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. ROEPPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Alliance, county of Stark, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Shoes, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention has for its object an improvement on the form of brakeshoe commonly known as the Ross shoe. It is well known to those skilled in the art of brake-shoe manufacture that it frequently happens, owing to peculiar and varying conditions in the use of brake-shoes, due to peculiarities in the mode of hanging the shoes, or to varying qualities of material in the shoes and tires used, or to unskillfulness in use and operation of the brakes, or owing to other causes, some known and others indeterminate, except by actual trial and experiment, that the common Ross form of shoe fails at times to fulfill all the varying needs of railroad service. It is to supply these lacking requisites in the Ross shoe that my several forms of shoe described in this and other applications simultaneously pending have been designed. In this form of shoe I provide for a reduction of the flangecontacting portion of the shoe, together with an equal reduction in the rib portion of the shoe that has contact with the neck of the tire, While at the same time I provide a contacting portion for the inner tread of the wheel whereby to balance and correct the inequalities of'the wheel which frequently occur by the time the shoe has been partially worn down.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of one form of shoe. Fig. 2 is a face view of a second form of shoe. Fig. 3 is a central sectional view of Fig. 1, taken on the central dotted line thereof. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of Fig. 2, taken on the dotted line of that figure.

This form of brake-shoe may be briefly described as consisting of three parts or portions: first, the outer tread-contacting portion A, that is in continual contact with the wheel whenever the brake is applied, said portion being slightly beveled from its inner edge outwardly, in order to assist in dressing down the outer edge of the wheel, and having a continuous, uu interrupted, or unbroken face the length of the brake-shoe; second, the flange-contacting portion B, that is provided with a groove Z), in which fits theflange of the wheel when the brake-shoe is in use, the face or wall of said groove being in contact with the flange of said wheel; third, the intermediate portion or inner tread-contacting portion 0, that engages with theinnertread portion of wheel in the form shown in Fig. 2, and also in the form shown in Fig. 1, after the shoe has become partially worn down. The face of this portion of the shoe is not continuous, but is broken by the recess portion a, that is depressed from the uplifted or end portions 0. It will be noticed that the flange-contacting portion B is of less length than the length of the brake-shoe, and that contact portion of the intermediate portion 0 is also less than the length of the brake-shoe, the contact portions of these two portions being of about equal length and lying in different transverse planes. Openings 0 are cut through the face of the recess to permit the wearings or grind- .ings caused by the contact of the shoe and the wheel to pass out and free themselves from the shoe instead of lodging and collecting in the latter. face or wall of the groove and has contact with the neck of the wheel.

The broad feature of providing openings in the inner tread portions of the shoe, shown and described in this application, I do not claim herein, as I claim this feature in another application simultaneously pending herewith-via, application Serial No. 312,7 7 '7 The wear of the rail against the wheel is so considerable that it is not necessary to form the inner tread-contacting portion 0 as long as the outer tread-contacting portion, and therefore it is that I shorten the same. The recess being formed between the two disconnected portions of said inner tread-contact ing portions also has a tendency to prevent the skidding of the wheels and consequent injurious flattening and wearing of the same.

I designate that portion of the shoe that A rib D forms the outer engages or has contact with the tlange'of the wheel as the flange-contact or flange-contacting portion, while that portion of the shoe that is opposite to and covers or may be adapted to have engagement with the inner tread portion of the wheel, which is that portion of the wheel most likely to be worn down by engagement with the rail, I designate as the inner tread contact or contacting portion of the shoe. The outer tread contact or contacting portion of the shoe is intended to signify that portion of the shoe lying outside of the inner tread'contact portion, said outer tread-contact portion adapted to have engagement with the outer tread portion of the wheel.

The foregoing description and accoin pan ying drawings set forth in detail mechanism in embodiment of my invention. Change may be made therein provided the principles of construction respectively recited in the following elai ms are employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In a brake-shoe, the combination, with a flange-contaot portion formed in one continuous unbroken piece and an outer treadcontact portion, of an inner tread-contact portion, the contacting face of said flange-contact portion and said inner tread-contact por' tion being of less length than the outer treadcontact portion, substantially as set forth.

2. In a brake-shoe, the combination, with a continuous and unbroken flange-contact portion and an outer tread-contact portion, of an inner tread-contact portion formed in two lon gitudinally-disconnected portions, a recess being formed between the two, the collective length of said inner tread-contact portion and the length of said [hinge-contact portion being substantially equal, substantially as set forth.

3. In a brake-shoe, the combination, with an outer iread-contacting portion and an inner tread-contacting portion formed in two longitudinally-chsconneeted portions, said latter portions together being of less length than the outer tread-contacting portion, of agroove adapted to receive the car-wheel. flange, the contacting-face of said groove of less length than the face of the outer tread-contacting portion, the greater portion of said groovecontacting face and said disconnected inner tread-contacting faces lying in different transverse planes, substantially as set forth.

4. In a brake-shoe, the combination, with an outer tread-contacting portion and inner trezul-contaetin g portion lying in aplane depressed from that of the outer tread-contacting portion, whereby it engages with the tread of the wheel as the brake-shoe becomes worn, said inner tread-contacting portion formed in two longitudinally-disconnected portions, a recess being formed between the two, of a flange-contacting portion provided with a groove adapted to receive the wheelflange, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing to be my invention I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of May, A. I). 1889.

' CHARLES \V. ROEPPER. Witnesses:

J. 13. FAY,

N. H. FAY. 

